"And that's your baby," the obstetrician said pointing to the screen of the ultrasound as she moved the wand across Katy's stomach to get an accurate reading. "She still appears to be perfectly healthy. Nothing to worry about." The obstetrician paused the screen and removed her gloves. "I'll give you guys a moment."
The obstetrician left the room to provide privacy for Shawn and Katy as well as print copies of their sonogram.
Shawn stood in awe watching the baby. This was the first time he had actually seen the baby in person. Katy had shown him her sonogram pictures from the previous months, but seeing it and hearing the baby's heartbeat was a new experience for him, He could not believe this was real and this was his life. Shawn finally understood how Cory had felt all those years ago.
"I don't want a paternity test," Shawn admitted. He couldn't remove his eyes from the screen. That was his baby.
"What?!" Katy questioned, propping herself up.
"I don't want a paternity test," Shawn repeated. "No matter the outcome, if I am or am not her biological father, I still want to be her father. I don't need a paternity test to tell me that."
Katy started to cry. She hadn't meant to, but Shawn's confession tugged at her heartstrings and hormones.
Shawn snapped himself out of his baby-induced daze and comforted Katy. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing," Katy said, wiping her eyes. "It's just that you're too sweet. Not every guy would do what you just did."
"She deserves a father. One that will be there for her and her mother," Shawn explained. Growing up without a stable family made him realize what he didn't want. He didn't want that little girl to grow up like he did. Shawn had the chance to provide and care for a family that was basically his own.
"You'll be there for me?" Katy asked, looking up at Shawn.
"Always." Shawn leaned down and kissed the top of her head reassuringly.
"But what about Kermit?" Though Kermit was out of the picture momentarily that did not mean he would pop up later in life. He was still her husband and under the assumption that no one else could be the baby's father.
"When the time comes, we'll deal with that together."
"Here's the a few copies of today's sonogram," the obstetrician announced coming into the room. She handed the photos to Katy, then proceeded to wipe the gel of her stomach.
"Thank you," Katy said, handing one of the sonograms over to Shawn for keeping.
"I'll see you next month, Katy," the obstetrician informed her patient before leaving. "Then after that appointment, I want you in my office once a week leading up until the time you give birth."
Katy nodded. She was almost at the final stretch and couldn't wait to meet her baby girl.
Shawn drove her home to her apartment afterwards with help on directions from Katy. He could easily tell she was tired and needed some rest. When Shawn picked her up for the appointment, she had just had a shift at the diner beforehand.
Shawn helped Katy out of the car and walked her to the apartment. The apartment itself was livable but barely. The building was not necessarily in the best or safest part of the city and it seemed like there was much needed work done to the interior. The thought of Katy and Maya, the name they decided on for their daughter, living there terrified him.
Once they reached the third floor, Katy grabbed her keys from her purse and unlocked the door to her apartment. "Thank you, for everything, Shawn. I really do appreciate all you are doing for us," Katy said, resting her hand on her stomach.
"Of course. Remember, if you need me I'm only one call away," Shawn smiled and started to head out down the hallway.
He was not even halfway down the hall before he heard Katy scream, "Shawn!"
Shawn ran back to her apartment, hoping that nothing happened to either Katy or Maya. What was the worst that could happen in point-two-five-seconds? When he entered the apartment, he saw what she stumbled on upon her immediate arrival. The place was torn a part. Clothing was flown everywhere and there were broken pieces of glass all over the floor.
"What happened?" Shawn asked.
"I don't know," Katy began to cry. Her home did not look remotely like this before she left for work early that morning. Everything was gone. The apartment was rendered to be just an empty space. All of her furniture had been taken, including her bed. The only ones that seemed to remain was Maya's crib and dresser. Thankfully, her lock box in Maya's dresser still remained. It was her emergency fund, which had about three thousand dollars in it. Not much of an emergency when she considered how much it would be to replace all she had lost.
Shawn didn't know what to say. He walked around the apartment and into the tiny kitchen hoping to find something. And he did. He found a note addressed to Katy. Shawn didn't even need to read the note to know who it was from. The wedding band on top of the note told him who it was. "Katy, I think this is for you," Shawn said calling her attention towards him.
Katy tried to wipe her tears away and took the note from Shawn. She skimmed it over and became increasingly angry the more she read.
"What does it say?" Shawn asked.
"Kermit did this," Katy gritted between her teeth. "He said that he wasn't ready to be a father and he's moving in with his new girlfriend. He also took everything that was his including the furniture since he paid for it. And he wants a divorce. He stapled the papers to the note. They're already signed. I just have to sign them, place them in the mail box and he'll pick them up tomorrow."
"Katy, I'm -" Shawn stopped himself before finishing his sentence. Neither one of them liked the phrase "I'm sorry." They tried to avoid the phrase altogether.
"What am I going to do?" Katy asked herself aloud. She had practically nothing and two months until Maya's arrival. Her emergency fund and extra shifts at the diner wouldn't even help. There was no time.
"Pack everything that is yours up," Shawn instructed as he began to formulate a plan. Katy didn't even question it. Well, she really didn't have the chance to before Shawn continued. "I need to make a call."
Shawn went into the hallway and called who he needed to as Katy packed up her belongings which wasn't a lot. Kermit hadn't left her much which included groceries. He said in the letter, "if I bought it, it's mine." Thankfully that meant, Maya's room was left untouched.
This whole situation made signing the divorce papers much easier. She took off her ring and signed the papers happily. The quicker she was through with him, the quicker the shenanigans would go away.
"Do you want me to take those down to the mailbox?" Shawn asked, returning from his phone call.
"That would be great," Katy said placing her first suitcase in the living room.
When Shawn returned back to her apartment, he helped her pack up Maya's room. There wasn't much in the nursery, just a crib and dresser with some clothes and diapers inside.
"Are you going to tell me, what we're doing with all this?" Katy asked.
"Of course, just as soon as..." Shawn began, but a knock on the front door drew him out of his thoughts. "Oh, he's here."
"Who's here?" Katy questioned, crossing her arms. Shawn wasn't telling her something and she did not like it - not one bit.
"Shawn, do you know what type of a place this is?" Cory asked incredulously. "I thought someone was going to shank me outside. Shank me! I'm not suited for this type of environment. How could anyone live in a place like this? Oh hi, Katy."
"Hi, Cory," Katy smiled. She knew that the location of her apartment was less than desirable, but it was affordable.
Cory's eyes went wide. It did not register that he had made those remarks in front of Katy on her home. "You have a lovely apartment," Cory lied.
Katy brushed off Cory's comment. "Shawn, what's Cory doing here?" Katy asked.
"Yeah, Shawn what am I doing here? No offense," Cory said, trying to remain of Katy's good side. He was already too familiar with the wrath of pregnant women, he did not need to be yelled at by another.
"I need your help loading the car. I also need your car for the crib and dresser," Shawn explained.
"And where are we going?" Katy questioned, placing her hands on her hips. She had no clue what Shawn was up to.
"My place," Shawn said.
"Don't you live with Cory and Topanga?" Katy questioned.
"Yeah, don't you live with me?" Cory interjected. It's not that he didn't like Katy, it's just that he had no room. With his new baby coming in five months, the apartment would be full. He had a wife, two kids, and a Shawn in the four bedroom apartment.
"I got my own place. It's in a good neighborhood, not too far from Cory or the diner. It's already furnished, I've been putting the final touches on it for the past month. I want you to stay with me," Shawn explained.
When Katy announced her pregnancy to Shawn that day in Svorski's, he immediately started looking for his own place. Cory and Topanga were already expecting baby number two and he was expecting one himself. There was no reason he needed to live with them anymore. Plus, he had enough money from the Europe assignment to do so.
Seeing as Katy's living situation became less livable, the option of moving her and Maya in seemed the best for everyone. Katy could have somewhere stable and less dangerous to live, Shawn could be around Maya and Katy every day, and Maya could have her two parents living together.
"Shawn, I can't ask you to do this," Katy said. She hated having to rely on someone. Taking her and Maya in was a lot to ask on someone, even if it was Shawn.
"But I want to," Shawn persisted. "Long term this is what is going to be best for our family."
"I hate to be the bear of bad news but what happens when Kermit the Frog shows up and wants his wife back. What are you going to do then?" Cory pointed out.
When Shawn told Cory and Topanga that Katy was pregnant, they both lectured him on how careless he had been and with a married woman of all people. Cory was protective of his best friend and didn't want him to get entrapped by Katy and her baby that could possibly not even be Shawn's.
"Kermit's not a problem," Katy interjected sadly. As much as she hated him in that moment and probably would never forgive him, it still hurt her to know that her marriage had failed.
Shawn looked at his best friend and said, "Katy and I are going to raise this baby, Cor. She's my daughter. No one is going to take that away from me."